John Dobson, the director of rugby at the Stormers, addressed Hacjivah Dayimani’s departure following the announcement by the Cape-based team that fifteen players would be leaving at the end of the 2023–2024 season.
Dayimani has been a vital component of the Stormers squad in recent years, guiding the group to both the 2022 URC title and the 2023 championship game.
The Stormers were eliminated from the playoffs this season in the quarterfinals, and their roster of departures has been verified after the season ended.
Dayimani, who is expected to join French Top 14 powerhouse Racing 92—who have not yet made an official announcement regarding all of their new additions in advance of the 2024–2025 season—is on the list. There, he will team up with former England captain Owen Farrell and captain Siya Kolisi, who has won two World Cups.
Dobson gives Hacjivah Dayimani permission to depart.
According to reports, the Stormers decided to waive Dayimani’s contract in order to make it easier for him to join Racing 92, possibly forgoing a sizable transfer fee in the process.
Nevertheless, Dayimani departs from the Stormers with the approval of his director of rugby.
Hacjivah is a well-known player, according to Dobson, who spoke to Rugby365.
He has performed a fantastic job promoting the initiative and the core values of the Stormers, in addition to his work on the field.
We merely told him that we would not stand in his way if he were to be presented with a chance that could change his life, given his heavy workload and the needs of others.
We haven’t done that, so he leaves with our permission and, ideally, returns sometime.
“He is unquestionably one of those players that we would be happy to have back.”
“A lot of talk about Ireland deserving to win the World Cup, we’ll see in July,” said Cheslin Kolbe.
Additional departees
The Stormers said goodbye to a number of notable players, including outstanding fly-half Kade Wolhuter, prop Kwenzo Blose, flankers Junior Pokomela and Nama Xaba, and loose forward Theo Walcott.
Dobson acknowledged that the Stormers are undergoing some personnel reorganization, but he also mentioned that several players have been given “great opportunities.”
“A player like Kade Wolhuter was always one of our bright young stars here, but we didn’t want to keep him, especially if it’s going to hamper his career,” Dobson continued, referring to the playmaker’s departure to the Lions.
While it was difficult to see many of those individuals go, he acknowledged that the team needed to bolster the roster, provide a viable rugby program for the new investors, and consider the long-term prospects of all the players, even the ones who had been struggling and hadn’t quite broken through.
